May 10th EditionCompliance vs. Best PracticeBy Julie Jonuzi, Operations Program Associate, Career and Technical Education DPI During the 2013-15 budget cycle, Wisconsin passed a budget bill that included funding and legal authority for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to develop an academic and career planning (ACP) process in accordance with Wisconsin Statute sec. 115.28 (59). Administrative Rule PI 26 was revised and updated in 2015 to outline components of a quality ACP program, while maintaining flexibility for design and delivery of the program by local school districts. So what does this mean for Wisconsin schools? Difficult Leave Issues In The School SettingBy Robert W. Burns, Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. Principals prefer to focus on students and educational issues, but often their supervisory roles consume time and energy. Personnel issues can impact many aspects of a school operation which ultimately influences the delivery of educational services. Having all teachers and staff regularly on the job and prepared to perform all aspects of their job is the ideal, but real life often complicates that picture. One of the more complex issues employers face from time to time is a request from an employee for extended or sporadic leave related to a medical condition. This article will touch on a number of the factors to consider in such scenarios, as well as highlight a recent federal court case which dealt with issues related to extended medical leave. This discussion is based on generalities and competent legal advice should always be sought for guidance in actual instances. AWSA's 2017-18 Professional Learning CatalogEvery year AWSA releases a catalog to outline our professional development and event offerings for the upcoming school year. We know that you are busy ensuring both the successful conclusion of the 2016-17 school year while preparing for 2017-18. We hope this catalog is helpful for you to plan for your continued growth.
New Tools for Your Communication NeedsBy Joe Donovan, Donovan Group Strong school leaders engage stakeholders in meaningful ways to promote student success. Starting today, you can find a host of new communication-related tools to support this important work. Members now have access to communications resources under the Communication Support section of the website. These resources are divided into two categories: Crisis Communications and the more general Communications Practices, Planning, and Tools section. May 24th EditionFrom Checklists to “Big Rocks” on Your Summer CalendarBy Joe Schroeder, AWSA Associate Executive Director As experienced leaders well know, the pace of the school year ramps up until the very end. And summer then suddenly “appears” from somewhere beyond the year-end haze as we try to recover from the wild and wooly ride of May and early June. To assist in managing this hectic ride and put your mind perhaps a bit more at ease about important preparations for the summer and school year ahead, this article shares two items for your consideration: (1) a monthly summer checklist you can use to assure that all key organizational work is being accomplished and (2) opportunities to leverage checklisted tasks into “big rock” priorities so that you can expand your leadership impact in 2017-18 like never before. School Innovation – Can we really destroy the Death Star?By Kevin Miller, School Innovation Consultant This is Part Two of a multi-part series of articles about how to establish meaningful innovative practices in public school districts. Part One appeared in a previous edition of The Update Bulletin; subsequent parts will appear in future editions; and all articles will be available on the author’s website, 34thstreeteducationinnovation.com. In Part One of this series of articles (“Don’t Waste Your Time Reading This”), I said I would challenge you, and I hope this article will push that challenge even further. I discussed then that there is substantial flexibility within the Wisconsin education laws and rules to allow nearly any sort of innovation as long as it is about serving students. I even revealed that a guide exists that will help find the flexibility that you need, and I likened this to the rebel’s stolen plans that would allow them to destroy the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Well, today is all about inspiring you to throw caution to the wind and join in the attack on the Death Star. School Counselors Transitioning to ASCA Comprehensive School Counseling ModelBy Stacy Eslick, WSCA Executive Director & Gregg Curtis, DPI School Counseling Consultant As part of a study on school administrators’ perceptions of the roles of school counselors in 2008, 124 school administrators were surveyed and 72% of them reported having knowledge of the Wisconsin Comprehensive School Counseling Model (WCSCM) and the accompanying “Model Academic Standards for School Counseling.” These grounded the work done by school counseling programs and counselors around the state. Based on the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Model (2nd ed.), the WCSCM and its standards provided a framework for counselors’ practice in helping students in their academic, personal/social, and career development.
New Tools for Your Communication NeedsBy Joe Donovan, Donovan Group Strong school leaders engage stakeholders in meaningful ways to promote student success. Starting today, you can find a host of new communication-related tools to support this important work. Members now have access to communications resources under the Communication Support section of the website. These resources are divided into two categories: Crisis Communications and the more general Communications Practices, Planning, and Tools section. April 25th EditionA Guide To Teacher Nonrenewalby Malina Piontek, Attorney Unlike the administrator nonrenewal statute which allows school boards to enter into two-year contracts with principals, and even have extensions to those contracts, the teacher nonrenewal statute only allows schools boards to enter into one-year contracts with teachers. Therefore, by law, the renewal/refusal to renew teacher contracts is an annual undertaking for administrators. Thus, it is vitally important for principals to have a solid understanding of the statutory teacher nonrenewal process. In large part, principals are primarily responsible for gathering data to support recommendations for renewal or refusal to renew individual teacher contracts. They also frequently must act as “prosecutors” by presenting evidence to school boards to support recommendations to nonrenew individual teacher contracts. This article is designed to provide foundational information for principals as they make their way through the annual teacher nonrenewal process. AWSA’s Annual ElectionAWSA’s Annual Election The election in open! The success of our association depends, to a large degree, upon the quality leadership that members collectively choose to lead AWSA. We are proud that our tradition of strong leadership continues. The election will remain open through April 30.
AWSA Professional Learning 2018-19Every year AWSA releases a catalog to outline our professional development and event offerings for the upcoming school year. We know that you are busy ensuring both the successful conclusion of the 2017-18 school year while preparing for 2018-19. We hope this catalog is helpful for you to plan for your continued growth. We are also excited to inform you that, in addition to adding new academies, school leaders are eligible to be reimbursed up to 75% for completing an eligible academy next year. Please see the inside front cover of this year's catalog for all the details.
 2018 National Principals ConferenceSchool leaders share the same goals for student success from kindergarten through high school. And when you come together, something very powerful happens: collaboration, synergy, and inspiration soar. Join NASSP at the 2018 National Principals Conference for authentic peer-to-peer conversations, innovative learning opportunities, and world-class thought leaders. Expect programming that addresses your specific needs and challenges, and get excited that you are laying the groundwork to help students successfully transition from one school level to another. NPC18 will be held July 11–13, in Chicago. Details and registration information can be found at www.principalsconference.org. NAESP Pre-K–8 Principals ConferenceMake plans to attend the premier professional development conference for elementary and middle-level principals at @NAESP Pre-K-8 Principals Conference. During the course of three days, you will connect with your peers, learn best practices, and have access to today’s education movers and shakers. Apply the knowledge and skills you learn in your school and in your career. Read more at bit.ly/2u4Aj8z |
